SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police on Friday arrested a man accused of slashing a patrol vehicle tire as officers clashed with onlookers following the March 14 shooting death of Kevin Johnson.
Valentin Jimenez Jr., 31, was taken into custody Friday on a warrant stemming from the incident.
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Jimenez is accused of slashing the tire of a Park Police officer who responded near Laurel Street and Hamilton Avenue to assist with crowd control.
The incident took place as a tensions rose in the West Side neighborhood in the immediate aftermath of the shooting death of Johnson, 28, who was shot and killed after pulling a handgun while running from officers.
SAPD officials on April 1 released footage of the fatal encounter, which showed Johnson jump off a bicycle and run from officers for about two city blocks before stumbling through a shallow creek.
In a narration of the video, SAPD Deputy Chief Chris Benavides said officers spotted a gun in Johnson’s right hand as he exited the creek.
Officers repeatedly shouted for Johnson to drop the gun as he appeared to trip and roll forward into the embankment on the other side of the creek.
After one officer said Johnson had a gun in his hand and officers yelled, “Gun! Gun! Gun!” they fired a flurry of shots at Johnson, killing him, the footage shows.
A handgun was recovered at the scene. SAPD officials included a still image of the grass-covered gun, with a bullet lodged at an angle in the chamber, in the April 1 video release.
Jimenez was among a large crowd of people who gathered near the scene following Johnson’s death.
The crowd chanted obscenities, rocked an SAPD vehicle and slashed a police vehicle’s tire, according to footage and audio captured by a KSAT camera, and a patrol vehicle’s windshield was shattered by a large object.
SAPD investigators reviewed officer body-worn camera footage and dashboard camera footage to determine that a man matching Jimenez’s description was responsible for slashing the tire, the arrest warrant states.
SAPD officers took Jimenez into custody on outstanding traffic warrants April 12. When questioned about the tire slashing incident, Jimenez admitted that he was responsible for the damage, according to the warrant.